Udaipur-based American artist Waswo X Waswo is known for his processed sepia-toned photographs. In his latest show, Sleeping through the Museum, the artist recreates an old museum with hand-tinted photographs, lithographs, artefacts and video, to understand the notions of &lsquo;museum-worthiness&rsquo;. Excerpts from an interview:
<img title="An image titled A Break from Work by Waswo X Waswo. The exhibition questions the worthiness of art in museums" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2014/jul/Waswo-X-Waswo.jpg" alt="An image titled A Break from Work by Waswo X Waswo. The exhibition questions the worthiness of art in museums" /> An image titled A Break from Work by Waswo X Waswo. The exhibition questions the worthiness of art in museums
Q. What is the central idea behind this exhibition? A. The original idea was a form of self-examination. When I was young, my cousin had organised the painted backgrounds of the dioramas at the local natural history museum. One day, I decided to check if those images could be found online. It occurred to me that many of my own photographs have the same feel.
<img title="The artefacts on display at Sakshi Gallery" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2014/jul/Sakshi-Gallery.jpg" alt="The artefacts on display at Sakshi Gallery" /> The artefacts on display at Sakshi Gallery
I&rsquo;ve worked for eight years with models posing against hand-painted backdrops. That mode of photographic construction also creates a diorama. It was unintended and it bothered me.
<img title="Waswo X Waswo" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2014/jul/Waswo.jpg" alt="Waswo X Waswo" /> Waswo X Waswo
So, I had to address the issue. This is a thematic show where the viewer is taken step-by-step, as in a museum, and there is even a Handy Museum Guidebook printed for the visitor.
<img title="Gazing Beyond, Oil on Canvas by John Fernandes" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2014/jul/Gazing-Beyond.jpg" alt="Gazing Beyond, Oil on Canvas by John Fernandes" /> Gazing Beyond, Oil on Canvas by John Fernandes
Q. Why did you choose the topic of museum-worthiness? A. I was flipping through a reference guidebook to artefacts kept by the Archeological Survey of India. Some of the &ldquo;artefacts&rdquo; depicted were still in use in the village of Varda, Rajasthan (where my studio is located). I wondered what really was an artifact. What made a village pot worthy of being in a museum but not old dishes in my own kitchen? Who makes these cultural decisions? Why does placing something under a glass case cause it to assume higher value?
Q. Who are the other collaborators? A. Three collaborators have worked with me for over a year: Rajesh Soni, a photo hand-colourist, who brings my black and white photos to life; Subrat Behera, an Oriya lithographer, who made free responses to my photos in a dream-like way and Shyam Lal Kumhar, a Rajasthani potter, who made objects that imitate museum artefacts.
Q. Tell us a bit about yourself. A. My father, George, was in India during World War II and I have had a long connection with the country. I&rsquo;ve lived here for 12 years and feel accepted as part of the Indian art scene. But I&rsquo;m not so na&iuml;ve as to think I totally belong here. I know my underlying American-ness will always keep me a bit of an outsider. But that outsider-ness can afford a unique perspective too.

Sleeping through the Museum is an exhibition by Waswo X Waswo where he recreates a museum at Sakshi Gallery with lithographs, photographs and artefacts, in a bid to raise questions on the whys and hows of curating objects

How do artefacts reach a museum?

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How do artefacts reach a museum?

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